Busy Days

Many, many things keeping this family very busy lately.
Number 1 son will enter his Science Fair with an experiment and explanation of Gel Electrophoresis on Thursday. He has done a good job and been more involved this year than any other year previous. I hope he will at least get an Honorable Mention. This will encourage him - and right now, I feel he needs that. He seems to be putting forth more effort but still not quite what I would wish. And the things that I think should come natural to him by this age do not. I think most of that is simply because he chooses not to. He would much rather focus on the fun things in life. (insert motherly dragon scowl here).
Number 1 daughter is putting forth more effort towards her schoolwork in the last two weeks than she has put in all 12 prior years total! I really am getting very excited to see the second marking period report card. If the progress report was any indication - this should be the best report card EVER.
The man has been fighting his demons - not the prior ones.... This is a bit different. Unfortunately for him, this is 1929.... the stock market has claimed a victim. This has sent him spiraling down into the depths of a depression from which it is very difficult at best to ressurect oneself. All the kings horses and all the kings men have not been able to even put one piece of Humpty back together again. And so, I have sent him to 'reinforcements'.....
I am grateful that I have a job and have been handed the opportunity to straighten out my own financial 'house'. This will enable me to carry my little family through.
And then, there is work........... in addition to all the normal hysteria, we are in the midst of the great transition. And so the 12 hour work day has become extended.............

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Today, I believe, was a very important day in history. The inauguration of our first mixed-race president. And a young one at that. I feel more hopeful than I have since that horrible day in 1963.......... I hope that God and good advisors will lead President Obama to do great things for this nation. I believe he has some wonderful ideas - ideas that he has given great thought as to how to accomplish. This is more than I have seen any other presidential hopeful do. And as jaded as my great age has allowed me to become, I truly do believe he wishes to hear what the people say and think - not ONLY what other politico's opinions are and the voices of the various .
However, I must sadly note that, in visiting the website he set up for the citizens of this country to air their ideas and suggestions (can't remember the name - but Laoch kindly listed it in one of his blogs), I saw that the most popular idea put forth was the legalization of marijuana. While I endorse that wholeheartedly - FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES, I found it very disheartening to note that it had the most votes up by the people. I do not know whether that is because of wonderful communication within the groups whose function is to make this happen or if that is truly how the majority of visitors to this website feel. I would hope that it is the former as the latter would indicate that the citizens are unaware of the plight of our economy, of the forces still dying in Iraq needlessly, of the many children who despite a food surplus are still starving, who despite an enormous education budget - are still illiterate, and the skyrocketing costs of healthcare making medications and care unaffordable for many, of ever-growing unemployment numbers.............and the list goes on and on.
Somehow, when put up against all these things, legalization of marijuana seems small indeed.
In any event, I wish for our new President faith and courage to stand for and stand up for all that he believes and the energy to see all the things he wishes to do through to completion.
May he have a blessed and productive 4 years in office.